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Perhaps the greatest strength of Xbox Game Pass is the day-one inclusion of Microsoft's first-party games. Subscribers are still waiting to see the likes of Redfall and Starfield launch with Game Pass, among a plethora of other first-party games, but this year is not without its own titles. Obsidian Entertainment's Pentiment launches on November 15 and will be available on the subscription service.
Pentiment is a passion project of Obsidian Entertainment's Josh Sawyer, who many may know from Fallout: New Vegas and Pillars of Eternity. Pentiment players take on the role of journeyman artist Andreas Maler as they investigate a major murder, of which a close friend stands accused. The story takes place over 25 years, with players pursuing the real murderer, should they make the right choices or not leverage this power for themselves. Reviews of Pentiment have hit the internet, and it seems to be a much bigger "get" for Xbox Game Pass than perhaps some initially thought.
One review aggregate site OpenCritic, Pentiment currently sits at an 86 Top Critic Average with 90% of critics recommending the title. It seems many praise the narrative and world crafted by Obsidian Entertainment, while others point to some flaws that are largely deemed negligible. Indeed, the scores definitely speak to this fact, and it's great to see Obsidian Entertainment's latest RPG get some praise. Obsidian Entertainment has proven itself a major workhorse for Microsoft since its acquisition, and many big games are on the way such as Avowed, The Outer Worlds 2, and so on.
However, big RPGs are great and all, but they should never overwhelm a studio's more intimate projects. Grounded, for example, speaks to Obsidian's skills as a developer, and this sandbox title made waves as its moved through its early access period. Grounded's full release is available on Game Pass too, and one could compare its scope and passion to Pentiment, which launches on Game Pass tomorrow. This marks two more intimate titles from Obsidian before its big hitters swoop in.
As we wrote in our Pentiment review, "Some players may create chaos, others will try to keep the peace, but each will be able to tell the story of Pentiment in their own way. It is interactive choose-your-own-adventure story-telling at its best, and although it feels too short, hopefully, there will be more tales and tomes like this one from Obsidian in the future."
Pentiment releases November 15 for PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.
Source: OpenCritic